The long-simmering cooking method in the slow cooker gives the flavor lots of time to meld together. Over time, the chili will thicken and your house will smell amazing! You can cook this overnight (if you can leave it alone!) or, it’s great to prepare everything and then start the Crock Pot in the morning and let it cook all day. You just throw everything in the crock pot and it’s ready in a few hours. You can start it in the morning, and it will be ready by dinnertime! speaking of time: this stuff gets better over time. So, you can make it up ahead of time if you’re planning to serve it at a party (think Super Bowl party!)

Nothing warms up a cold winter day quite like a hot bowl of chili with beans. It’s even great in the summertime! You can add heat to it with chopped jalepenos or hot sauce (like Tapatio or Tobasco). Or, skip the onions and peppers all together and make a milder version that even little ones will love. As with all my recipes, it’s really versatile. I almost never make it the same way twice!

After a long day when you don’t have much time to cook, you need quick and easy dinner recipes! Sometimes I like taking my time and preparing complicated recipes that can take all day. But usually, for every day meals, fast and easy wins out!

Spice it up! My family loves smoked sausage. Normally I just fry it up and serve with a few side dishes such as veggies and rice. But, that gets a little boring after a while. So, I decided to spice up our plain old sausage with this incredibly tasty recipe I made up.

Substitutions: The taste reminds me of Honey Bourbon, but that’s just because of the end result. There’s actually no honey or bourbon in it! You can substitute similar tastes to get a similar dish. Mix something sweet with something tart and see what you get! You can also substitute other types of meat easily, such as bratwurst, kielbasa or polish sausage. And you don’t even have to use beef! You could use turkey or pork sausage as well. Use your imagination!

Save time and money! Making it yourself from ingredients you have at home is not only frugal, it’s fun! Start with a taste in mind and hit up your cupboards to see what you have in stock. Using basic ingredients you already have is a great way to cook frugally. Mixing sweet and salty, or sweet and savory, or tangy and tart will help you invent new meals, and your family will ask for seconds!

Price breakdown:

The cost of this meal can be very low. You can’t compare this under $2 meal for 5 to eating at a restaurant, that’s for sure! 😉 And, the ingredients used cost much less than bottle of ready-made marinade. However, if you want more exquisite ingredients the cost will increase. Do what works for you!

maple syrup – it goes without saying that imitation syrup is much cheaper than real 100% pure maple syrup. I buy locally because I live in the country and there’s nothing like real maple syrup. But, if you buy imitation (such as “Log Cabin” brand) you can get it without a coupon for around .14 per ounce. Real maple syrup can cost double that. Our recipe calls for 1/2 a cup which is 5.6 oz, or 78¢ total.

oranges or orange juice – obviously, there are cheap varieties here too. I used real oranges that I chopped up in my Ninja blender. My daughter spit out the rind (hey, that’s fiber and it’s good for you!) So, if you’re going for cheap you can use concentrated orange juice which is as low as $1 per container that makes 2 quarts. That equates to 12.5 ¢

apple juice or Captain Morgan spiced rum – again, figuring the $1 containers that make 2 quarts, you’re at 12.5 ¢ per cup and you’re only using 1 oz, so that’s just under 2¢ (the Captain costs slightly more at around 30¢ per ounce if you get a 1.75 L bottle for $18, like I do at Costco).

smoked sausage – these can vary a lot! I got mine on sale for $1 each. I’ve seen them much higher and much lower in cost. Shop around!

Total = $1.92 for this whole main dish!

Versatile! You can serve as an appetizer – smoked sausage bites, or as a main dish for supper. Just add a few colorful side dishes and wow your family and friends! 🙂 These are perfect to bring to parties, such as a Super Bowl Party!